Heat controlling radiator



March 10, 1936. t K. c. BECKETT 2,033,272

HEAT CONTROLLING RADIATOR Filed Jan. 15, 1954 WWW-w Patented Mar. 10, 1936 2,033,272 HEAT CONTROLLING RADIATOR Application .iannary 15, 1934, Serial No. 706,641

1 Claim.

The principal objects of the invention are, to provide a system for regulating the heat distributing area of steam radiators in single pipe installations so that a minimum heating area may be utilized in mild weather and such area may be increased during more severe weather, thereby avoiding the unpleasant and unhealthful condition of overheating, where steam is used as a heating medium.

A further and very important object is to provide a regulated system in which standard equipment may be utilized and the control effected at slight additional cost, thereby enabling the application of the control feature to systems already in use.

The principal feature of the invention consists in the novel use of a manual control on an air release valve for single pipe steam heating systems, whereby the air contained within the radiators may be retained to limit the heating area affected by the live steam, or such air may be released partly or wholly to increase the heating area.

In the drawing, Figure l is an elevational View of a steam radiator illustrating the application of my improved system.

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the special air release valve, preferably used in putting the system into efiect.

Figure 3 is a part vertical sectional view of the valve shown in Figure 2.

In the heating of buildings by the use of steam it is well understood that the high temperature of the steam prohibits the constant maintenance of the radiation, except in the most severe kind of weather and even under such severe conditions it is commonly found necessary to shut ofi the steam to the individual radiators to avoid excessive over-heating of the apartments sup-plied with heat from the radiating system.

When the steam is shut off the steam contained within the individual radiators condenses and the radiator is provided with a suitable valve which allows the ingress of air and thus permits the re turn of condensed steam to the boiler. Such air vents on the radiators also permit the escape of the air from the radiators when the steam is allowed to enter the same and such valves are devised to thermostatically close the air vent when the radiator has become filled with live steam.

This arrangement of automatic air vent on the radiators is practically universal and eliminates what is commonly called air lock.

The present invention proposes to utilize the air lock condition found in the use of steam as a heating medium as a very excellent and positive method of controlling the active heating area of the radiator. This can be accomplished in a very simple manner, but the application is quite positive and enables the control of temperatures in Y buildings to a remarkable degree.

In putting this invention into effect each radiator in a system is provided with an air release valve which contains an automatic thermostatically operated valve 2 which closes an outlet 3. Usually the outlet is effected through openings in the top or sides of a closed central member in the valve, but in accordance with the present invention the Valve is provided with a threaded orifice 4 preferably arranged in alignment with the outlet 3.

A valve 5 in the form of a threaded spindle having a knurled knob 6 on its outer end is threaded into the orifice 4 and the inner valve end thereof is adapted to close the outlet 3.

A suitable stop, here shown in the form of a finger l projecting downwardly from; the knurled knob 6 of the valve co-operates with an obstruction 8 secured in the flange of the valve I. This stop permits the valve 5 to be opened and rotated a sufficient distance to allow air to escape freely from the radiator on which it is placed.

The automatic valve 2 will operate to close the outlet when live steam enters the valve chamber, within the casing l and when said automatic valve operates, practically all the air contained within the radiator has been permitted to escape. This is due principally to the fact that the air vent is arranged at the end of the radiator farthest from the steam inlet.

By the use of the manually controlled valve 5 on the air valve the outlet 3 may be closed so that when the steam is turned on to the radiator the air within the body of the radiator will be trapped and cannot escape. The steam enters the inlet pipe 9 of the radiator and flows upwardly through the first few coils II] to the top and passing along the top conduit connections of the coils the steam entraps the air and of course compresses it in accordance with the steam pressure. This entrapped volume of air very definitely divides the radiator space into active and inactive areas. In low pressure single pipe heating systems the pressure may not be sufiicient to allow any material quantity of steam to enter the radiator and it is desirable to provide an automatic air vent II at the inlet end of the radiators. This vent allows air to escape until the live steam reaches the top of the first coil or two and then automatically closes and the remaining air is entrapped in the lower portion of the radiator.

The space below the heavy dotted lines shown crossing the coils ID of the radiator will, when the air valve is closed, be non-heat radiating, while the space above such lines and in the first few inlet end coils, will contain live steam. The result will be very material reduction of the heat radiating surface.

If the radiation is found to be insuificient the air valve may be opened to allow a portion or all of the air entrapped within the radiator to escape so that the total available radiation area will come into use.

It will be appreciated that it will be merely necessary to replace the ordinary air vents on steam radiators with vents having manually controlled valves and in mild weather over-heating of the building may be overcome by closing the valves 5, but the entire radiation surface is practically instantaneously available by simply opening the valve 5 and allowing the entrapped air to escape.

The system thus described is extremely simple, but very effective. The type of valve shown is of a common and well known construction with a manual control valve added thereto, but it will be understood that any other type of automatic air vent may be fitted with a manually controlled valve for closing the vent opening at Will to accomplish the desired purpose of entrapping a body of air within the radiators. A manually controllable valve on an air vent may be found to be desirable for general use as such a valve may be easily shut 01f if the automatic Valve fails to function.

What I claim as my invention is:-

In a system of heat control, a radiator composed of end and intermediate sections, adjacent sections being open to one another at their upper ends to form a top header, and having a single pipe connection for steam supply and return connected to the bottom of one end section, said end section also having an automatic air vent connected thereto at the end connected with the steam inlet and a manually controllable air vent connected to the other end section at the end of the radiator farthest from the inlet, and being operable to either freely release air from the radiator or to permit air to return to the radiator when the internal pressure thereof drops below atmosphere, said manually controllable vent being adapted to be closed to confine air in the radiator to reduce the heat radiating surface thereof by a substantial amount.

KENNETH C. BECKETT. 

